Charles de Gaulle


The leader and creator of Free France during World War II, Charles de Gaulle devised and governed the nation’s Fifth Republic after the war.


Born in Lille to a schoolmaster, de Gaulle grew up in Paris and attended a military academy. De Gaulle was wounded three times during WWI, before being taken prisoner by the Germans in 1916. His bravery marked him out as war hero.


Between the wars, De Gaulle developed a reputation as a military tactician and was made Under-Secretary of National Defence and War. However, his plans to secure the French-German border were ignored. Consequently, the Nazi march on Paris met little resistance.


De Gaulle rejected his country’s truce with the Nazis and escaped to Britain with the remains of the French Army at Dunkirk.


In London, he founded the Free France government, declaring himself President in Exile. Working alongside President Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, he returned to France after the D-Day landings and was given a hero’s welcome.